Venezia – Reaching Beyond

Treating advanced-stage cervical cancer can be difficult without the right tools. Dr Matthew Biagioli will discuss a new option for reaching beyond the current constraints with the Venezia applicator for reproducible results and seamless integration into your current workflow.

A new class of radiation devices is emerging that has the potential to transform how cancer is treated through more precise tumour targeting and the adaptation of treatment every time. High-field MR-linac technology integrates the power of state-of-the-art MR imaging with precision radiation technology. It can deliver precisely targeted radiation doses while simultaneously capturing the highest-quality MR images, which will allow clinicians to visualize both tumours and the surrounding healthy tissue at any time during radiation delivery, and adapt the treatment accordingly.

During this webinar, clinical experts will share their experience with a novel high-field MR-linac. The speakers are currently utilizing this new technology and will present their latest work on the imaging studies that have been undertaken prior to clinical introduction. This work will support the new and rapidly emerging area of MR radiation therapy (MR/RT).

High-field MR-linac devices based on diagnostic-standard MRI technology will offer many avenues for exploring improvements in radiotherapy, such as shorter treatment regimens or targeted adaptation of the treatment in real time. Also, by integrating precision radiation and MRI technologies, high-field MRI capabilities can be optimally explored to help bring personalized cancer care to radiation therapy.

HDR skin brachytherapy can bring added value to any brachytherapy program. Join Dr Michael Kasper and physicist Zoubir Ouhib from the Lynn Cancer Institute to learn more about how to start or add a skin program the right way. Topics will include the necessary equipment, key team members and the general considerations critical to program success.

Tomotherapy planning was added into RayStation software in December 2016 as part of the V6 release. This addition allows a seamless planning approach for centers with helical Tomotherapy combined with conventional linacs. For the first time ever, all planning can be done within one treatment planning system. RayStation’s advanced planning modules such as Multicriteria Optimization are well suited for Tomotherapy planning and will be shown. Finally, there are some unique features to the Tomotheraphy optimization that will be described by our in-house expert.

Raman spectroscopy and confocal Raman microscopy have already proved to be essential characterization tools in many areas of advanced research, with a number of these applications extending into industry. As time moves on, new applications that are not addressed by existing technologies arise. Indeed, at the nanoscale, materials exhibit different properties than at the macro level, often quite dramatically different. The characterization of nanomaterials naturally requires imaging techniques with resolution at the same scale or better, so that local property variations can be discerned and defects properly detected; only with this understanding can the material properties be engineered to meet the performance requirements of next-generation devices.

In this webinar, HORIBA Scientific, the world leader in micro and nanoRaman spectroscopy, will present new nano-imaging capabilities. Tip-enhanced optical spectroscopies (TEOS) such as TERS (tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy) and TEPL (tip-enhanced photoluminescence) provide a unique capability for the characterization of diverse 0, 1 and 2D materials. We will demonstrate the power and importance of the cross-correlation of nanoscale hyperspectal imaging with data from other scanning-probe techniques such as topography, surface potential, conductivity and photocurrent. We will also discuss how we have extended this technique to other nano-materials as well as semiconducting nanostructures and bio-materials.

If you want to learn how to simulate the thermoelectric effect in the COMSOL Multiphysics® software, then tune into this webinar.

The thermoelectric effect, which involves the reversible conversion between heat and electricity, is a phenomenon that is used in both heating and cooling applications. The effect is often used in devices such as thermal sensors, energy harvesters and Peltier coolers.

In this webinar you will learn how to model the coupled phenomenon in COMSOL Multiphysics®. We will discuss the basic theory for heat transfer and electric currents as well as highlight how to account for the Peltier, Seebeck and Thomson effects. During a live demonstration these effects will be combined in a single model.

This webinar includes a Q&A session during which you can ask questions.

Peer review is one of the most critical components of high-quality scientific publishing. It impacts on the timeliness, accuracy and clarity of research findings that—if published—will be accessible and visible to everyone for years to come.

At its best, the peer-review process establishes whether the work makes a genuine and valuable contribution to the literature, and can remove errors and help authors to better explain their results and the significance of their work to the broad audience who may read the final journal article. At its worst, however, inadequate or superficial peer review can allow substandard work or poorly explained research to be published, which is to the detriment of the scientific enterprise. In addition, the peer-review process can also impede the publication of high-quality work through unnecessary delays or personal bias.

The goal of this webinar is to address best practices for reviewing a journal manuscript and address some of the challenges and pitfalls that frequently crop up during the peer review process. This webinar is aimed at those new to serving as a referee for a scientific journal – whether that be more generally, within the field of medical physics, or for Physics in Medicine & Biology specifically.

Treating advanced-stage cervical cancer can be difficult without the right tools. Dr Matthew Biagioli will discuss a new option for reaching beyond the current constraints with the Venezia applicator for reproducible results and seamless integration into your current workflow.

Respiratory rate (RR) is a key physiological parameter that is used in a range of clinical settings for diagnosis and prognosis. Despite its importance, it is usually measured by hand. Over the past 50 years many techniques have been developed to estimate RR from two widely acquired physiological signals: the electrocardiogram (ECG) and the pulse oximetry signal (photoplethysmogram (PPG)). Although these techniques have been the subject of much research, they have not yet been widely integrated into clinical practice. This webinar will provide a comprehensive overview of the state of the art in estimating RR from the ECG and PPG. It is intended to equip researchers with the knowledge and tools to translate this promising technology into patient benefit.

Plan Explorer provides a new paradigm in treatment planning. This talk goes through the underlying algorithms, explains how to use the system, gives examples of plan configurations and provides an outlook into future developments of this feature found within the RayStation treatment planning software.

Astrophysics of Red Supergiants is the first book of its kind devoted to our current knowledge of red supergiant stars, a key evolutionary phase that is critical to our larger understanding of massive stars. It is also the first to publish in the exciting new partnership with the American Astronomical Society and IOP ebooks.

Please join us for this 45 minute webinar with Dr Emily Levesque as she gives an overview of her book and answers your questions in a live Q&A.

This webinar is recommended viewing for a range of experience levels, from graduate students up to senior researchers.

Generally speaking, physicists still find that computing with paper and pencil is in most cases simpler than computing with a Computer Algebra System (CAS). Although that is true in some cases, the working paradigm is changing: developments in CAS, and particularly recent ones in the Maple system, have resulted in the implementation of most of the mathematical objects and mathematics used in theoretical physics computations, and have dramatically approximated the notation used in the computer to the one used with paper and pencil, diminishing the learning gap and computer-syntax distraction to a strict minimum. In this talk, the Physics project at Maplesoft will be presented and the resulting Physics package will be illustrated through simple problems in classical field theory, quantum mechanics and general relativity, and through tackling the computations of some recent Physical Review papers in those areas.

Join us for this very timely webinar with Dr Tristan Kershaw as he gives an overview of his book Climate Change Resilience in the Urban Environment. This new book is one of the first to look at the resilience of whole cities as the world’s population changes from 70% rural to 70% urban in the space of just 100 years. It looks at risks for urban areas, including those risks to human health as well as building integrity.

This webinar is sponsored by: COMSOL and The National Physical Laboratory (NPL)

If you are interested in correctly handling material properties in heat transfer modelling, then tune into this webinar with Louise Wright from the Data Science Group at the National Physical Laboratory (NPL).

Heat transfer modelling is used in a wide range of industries and research areas, including materials processing, food manufacturing, power generation, and aerospace. Reliable model results require reliable material properties, but it can be difficult to know how to get suitable values, particularly if the model involves very high or very low temperatures.

In this webinar, we will discuss NPL’s measurement capabilities for thermal behaviour and how they are extending these capabilities. You will also learn about NPL’s use of heat transfer modelling to design their kit and experiments.

The webinar will include a live demonstration and conclude with a Q&A session.

RISE – Raman Imaging and Scanning Electron – microscopy is a correlative approach that combines molecular and ultrastructural analysis. With this hybrid technique, information on the chemical composition of a sample provided by the optical Raman microscope is overlaid onto structural features imaged with a high resolution scanning electron microscope. Both methods can be controlled with software and the correlation carried out while the sample remains under vacuum. The integration of both techniques within a single instrument eliminates the necessity of manually locating the same measurement position, a notoriously time-consuming process with separate instruments.
In this webinar, the principles of state-of-the-art confocal Raman imaging as a tool for the analysis of molecular characteristics of a sample will be presented, then the manner in which this information can be linked to structural information acquired with scanning electron microscopy will be demonstrated. The advantages of seamless correlative investigation will be described and shown with several examples.

As radiation-oncology clinics transition from paper to paperless environments, more documentation is being stored in computer databases. Medical-physics documentation was traditionally stored in large binders on a bookshelf and disparate Excel files on a PC hard drive. Historically this was the only option for storing the large volume of data required for regulatory compliance. In the last 5 years many vendors of radiation-oncology quality-assurance (QA) equipment have stepped up to fill this gap. Additionally, QA software is now available that combines the interfacing of hardware with QA systems. In this lecture I will cover some of the software packages available from vendors and will share the LewisGale experience in implementing one software package for integrated QA. I will conclude the lecture with some of my personal thoughts regarding suggestions for QA software vendors for the future.

AQUA is a departmental quality management software that centralizes all of the machine QA activities, helping to manage the complexity of quality assurance requirements in a radiation therapy department. As part of an MR Linac research project, Aqua was chosen to standardize and manage QA activities. It uses a centralized database to consolidate all QA tests, procedures and results in one location and offers a workflow manager to guide the users in their day-to-day QA tasks.

In this presentation, we will review how University Medical Center Utrecht utilizes Aqua to manage and monitor QA across the radiation therapy department.

With the Ray Optics Module, an add-on product to the COMSOL Multiphysics® software, you can use simulation to predict the paths of light rays, including diffuse and specular reflection, refraction, absorption and dispersion of polychromatic light. You can also analyse ray intensity, polarization and monochromatic aberrations.

This webinar will focus on how ray tracing can be combined with other types of physics in a model. For example, you can model the effects of thermal stress in high-powered laser focusing systems and even couple wavelength-scale modelling of antennas and semiconductor devices to ray tracing simulations on a much larger scale.

The webinar includes a live demonstration and will conclude with a Q&A session.

The quality control (QC) of radiation-therapy (RT) treatment units is essential to deliver safe and effective radiation-therapy treatments. The complexity of the equipment and treatment techniques demands that many different tests be performed with varying frequencies, making the management of an RT department’s QC programme a complex and time-consuming task. Many professionals such as therapists, service engineers and physicists are working in collaboration to meet the machine QC requirements.

AQUA is a departmental quality-management software that centralizes all of the machine QC activities, helping to manage the complexity of quality-assurance requirements in a radiation-therapy department. AQUA is a server-based application that can be accessed throughout a RT department using a web browser. It uses a centralized database to consolidate all QC tests, procedures and results in one location and offers a workflow manager to guide the users in their day-to-day QC tasks. QC tests in AQUA can easily be created or customized using a XML-based scripting language. Integration between AQUA and the Elekta linear accelerators and other measurement devices (such as MV flat panels, electrometers and 2D arrays) using a built-in software interface has been implemented to automate time-consuming tasks. Finally, review tools such as near-real-time dashboard, plotting tool and reports are available in AQUA to streamline machine-performance assessment.

In this presentation, we will review some of the main AQUA features such as the workflow manager, QC test scripting language, and the dashboard for performance and compliance review. We will also describe test automation for some QC tasks and review the impact on QC workflows and test frequency. We will then discuss the impact of efficient review tools on the ability to detect change in machine performance and to guide servicing decisions. Finally, we will review new features in the up-coming version of the software.

The advent of MRI-guided radiation therapy has introduced MRI’s powerful soft- tissue contrast into the treatment room, offering strong potential for improved targeting in many disease sites. In February 2017, ViewRay’s MRIdian linear accelerator (linac) received FDA clearance and the first patient treatment using MRIdian® Linac was conducted at Henry Ford Cancer Institute in July 2017. In this webinar, two key physicists involved in this project, Anthony Doemer, M.S., and Carri Glide-Hurst, Ph.D., will present their commissioning and clinical experience. Initial site planning, shielding, and MR safety considerations will be shared. The design aspects and functionality of the double-focused MLC, mechanical, and radiation characterization and validation will be presented. Commissioning of the MRI system, including novel aspects such as distortion assessment and field homogeneity in the presence of the linear accelerator will be highlighted. First clinical images and treatment plans will be shared to highlight the first months of clinical operation.